HIV Superheros! The Undetectables!

For some it is difficult to maintain ART drug adherence. Part of this program is to instill self awareness and the meaningful community benefits ART has. I love the approach. By taking a negative (being POZ) and turning it into something positive (becoming undetectable) is wonderful. They can be part of a force for 'GOOD", something bigger than themselves, it's their selves, their community, their city, their country....the world. Many are stigmatized, depressed and socially repressed.

"We felt that we needed to do our part by achieving a community rate of viral load suppression [undetectability] of 80 percent or more,” Shubert says. “We had to figure out how to get our community members to understand the role of taking care of your own health as part of the overall end of the epidemic.”"

This is actually quite a good idea, but question, why do the "superheros" representing HIV positive people have to be black and Latino? It's bad enough we're rarely shown in media representation, but when we are we gotta be the majorities in a comic about HIV positive character? Great way to stigmatize black gay meneven more.

I'm all for whatever works to keep people maintaining their health, positive or negative. But I find this ad campaign a bit odd. It's like it was geared towards children. It reminds me of something my dentist gave me as a kid where it told me I was a superhero fighting off the bad guys "Mister Plaque" and "Gingivitis." And my weapons were a toothbrush and dental floss.

Radd saidI'm all for whatever works to keep people maintaining their health, positive or negative. But I find this ad campaign a bit odd. It's like it was geared towards children. It reminds me of something my dentist gave me as a kid where it told me I was a superhero fighting off the bad guys "Mister Plaque" and "Gingivitis." And my weapons were a toothbrush and dental floss.

Radd saidI'm all for whatever works to keep people maintaining their health, positive or negative. But I find this ad campaign a bit odd. It's like it was geared towards children. It reminds me of something my dentist gave me as a kid where it told me I was a superhero fighting off the bad guys "Mister Plaque" and "Gingivitis." And my weapons were a toothbrush and dental floss.

MuchMoreThanMuscle saidIf you're commenting on the whole comic book approach as the main objective of this campaign to reduce HIV and improve the health of those already living with HIV then you didn't read the article supplied by the OP. It's minor in comparison to what this campaign is actually trying to achieve and how they are going about it.

I admit to feeling a bit jaded when I read that participants of this study were receiving $100 gift cards every three months for remaining undetectable. I thought that this was the real reason why people were adhering to the program. Give a person a financial incentive to maintain something and the desired outcome becomes more realistic to attain.

But then as I read further I found that part of this program provided tailored approaches to individual participants in order to meet their specific and unique needs. That is truly is wonderful. This takes a lot of resources, time and money to provide people with this type of individual attention but if it works then that's all that matters.

They would actually go their home and see and watch that they were taking their meds! Remember that the 700 or so people signed on to help them take on their problem.

Straight direct money compensation doesn't work. But this seems to. These are some of the hardest people to access due to drugs, youth, homelessness, etc.

MuchMoreThanMuscle saidIf you're commenting on the whole comic book approach as the main objective of this campaign to reduce HIV and improve the health of those already living with HIV then you didn't read the article supplied by the OP. It's minor in comparison to what this campaign is actually trying to achieve and how they are going about it.

I admit to feeling a bit jaded when I read that participants of this study were receiving $100 gift cards every three months for remaining undetectable. I thought that this was the real reason why people were adhering to the program. Give a person a financial incentive to maintain something and the desired outcome becomes more realistic to attain.

But then as I read further I found that part of this program provided tailored approaches to individual participants in order to meet their specific and unique needs. That is truly is wonderful. This takes a lot of resources, time and money to provide people with this type of individual attention but if it works then that's all that matters.

They would actually go their home and see and watch that they were taking their meds! Remember that the 700 or so people signed on to help them take on their problem.

Straight direct money compensation doesn't work. But this seems to. These are some of the hardest people to access due to drugs, youth, homelessness, etc.

MuchMoreThanMuscle saidIf you're commenting on the whole comic book approach as the main objective of this campaign to reduce HIV and improve the health of those already living with HIV then you didn't read the article supplied by the OP. It's minor in comparison to what this campaign is actually trying to achieve and how they are going about it.

I admit to feeling a bit jaded when I read that participants of this study were receiving $100 gift cards every three months for remaining undetectable. I thought that this was the real reason why people were adhering to the program. Give a person a financial incentive to maintain something and the desired outcome becomes more realistic to attain.

But then as I read further I found that part of this program provided tailored approaches to individual participants in order to meet their specific and unique needs. That is truly is wonderful. This takes a lot of resources, time and money to provide people with this type of individual attention but if it works then that's all that matters.

They would actually go their home and see and watch that they were taking their meds! Remember that the 700 or so people signed on to help them take on their problem.

Straight direct money compensation doesn't work. But this seems to. These are some of the hardest people to access due to drugs, youth, homelessness, etc.

That sounds very emotionally unhealthy, not to mention codependent.

Not at all. They asked for help to get back on track. Most are doing it on their own now.

Sometimes it's a shove, or a helping hand, ultimately they have to do it. And they are.

Radd saidForgive my ignorance, but is this just about not taking a pill? I don't understand why a person would need a support group to take medicine.

Severe lack of medical compliance is usually shrouded around mental illness. From severe depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder to substance addiction. These conditions can severely impede a person's ability to take care of himself. And in some cases, people have more than one (e.g. schizophrenia and drug addiction).

I've seen so much of this firsthand now that I'm in the Seattle area. It can be overwhelming to see sometimes.

Oh yeah. Not sure why mental illness never occurred to me. That makes more sense now.

MuchMoreThanMuscle saidTransient has a total of fifty-three posts and a member for only a few short months. Now he's gonna come in here and start whining about too many threads about HIV? This is the HIV section of the website.

I smell a troll-sock account.

Just to clarify, it doesnt matter how long i have been part of this community..... nor how many posts i make.

I have had a 3 year break from RJ and the internet in general.

Yes, this is the HIV section..... I would like as Im sure you would too, to see a diversity of opinions, posts and discusions on a variety of subjects related to HIV .

If you believe im whining about too many HIV threads, then please reread what I have said....... im actualy whining -if you must push this belittling phrase onto me - about there being too many PrEP truvida threads with the same 3 or 4 people having the same argument.

MuchMoreThanMuscle saidTransient has a total of fifty-three posts and a member for only a few short months. Now he's gonna come in here and start whining about too many threads about HIV? This is the HIV section of the website.

I smell a troll-sock account.

Just to clarify, it doesnt matter how long i have been part of this community..... nor how many posts i make.

I have had a 3 year break from RJ and the internet in general.

Yes, this is the HIV section..... I would like as Im sure you would too, to see a diversity of opinions, posts and discusions on a variety of subjects related to HIV .

If you believe im whining about too many HIV threads, then please reread what I have said....... im actualy whining -if you must push this belittling phrase onto me - about there being too many PrEP truvida threads with the same 3 or 4 people having the same argument.

This spoils the forums for everybody.

Please just use one thread for one subject.

It isn't an argument any more. TasP and PrEP are very effective and well known. They have been acknowledged world wide by every country and every health organization.

Should every dating question be reduced to one thread? Who's cuter? Or every fitness routine? Or every Donald Trump article (OK there I agree! lol)

You accused me of 'spamming'. Where have I "send the same message indiscriminately to (large numbers of recipients) on the Internet." ?

THIS message on this thread is specifically about compliance in NYC fringe groups who have trouble adhering to their meds. Nor have I sent it to a large number of people, it's just a thread. You can ignore it if you'd like.

Perhaps under the HIV/AIDS we could have sections for PrEP, TasP, Condoms, Abstinence, Education......but I think most would agree it's all combined.